Arteriosclerosis
Recent clinical, regulatory, research and industry developments relating to this disease.
Expert consensus document on arterial stiffness: methodological issues and clinical applications.
Adiponectin and adiponectin receptors.
Innate and adaptive immunity in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
Insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease.
Serum amyloid A, the major vertebrate acute-phase reactant.
What's happening now
An analyst briefing on current research, clinical, regulatory and industry activity surrounding this disease.
- 4 clinical trials expected to report results, the earliest in Q3 2026.
- Q3 2026An Exploratory Study of [18F]AlF-NOTA-octreotide PET/MRI in Carotid Artery Disease
- Q4 2026Changes in Plaque Characteristics After Short-term Statin Therapy as Assessed With Coronary CT
- Q1 2027Comparison of Anti-coagulation and Anti-Platelet Therapies for Intracranial Vascular Atherostenosis (CAPTIVA)
- Q4 2029Phase 3 Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of MK-0616 in Reducing Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Participants at High Cardiovascular Risk
Clinical MilestonesViewHide
- 2026-07-24Comparison of Anti-coagulation and Anti-Platelet Therapies for Intracranial Vascular Atherostenosis (CAPTIVA)Results expected Q1 2027
- 2026-05-13Changes in Plaque Characteristics After Short-term Statin Therapy as Assessed With Coronary CTResults expected Q4 2026
- 2026-04-23Phase 3 Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of MK-0616 in Reducing Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Participants at High Cardiovascular RiskResults expected Q4 2029
- 2025-08-11An Exploratory Study of [18F]AlF-NOTA-octreotide PET/MRI in Carotid Artery DiseaseResults expected Q3 2026
- 2026-07-24ClinicalComparison of Anti-coagulation and Anti-Platelet Therapies for Intracranial Vascular Atherostenosis (CAPTIVA)Results expected Q1 2027
- 2026-05-13ClinicalChanges in Plaque Characteristics After Short-term Statin Therapy as Assessed With Coronary CTResults expected Q4 2026
- 2026-04-23ClinicalPhase 3 Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of MK-0616 in Reducing Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Participants at High Cardiovascular RiskResults expected Q4 2029
- 2025-08-11ClinicalAn Exploratory Study of [18F]AlF-NOTA-octreotide PET/MRI in Carotid Artery DiseaseResults expected Q3 2026
Clinical trials
The current development programme across all trial phases.
Research activity
Key research shaping understanding of this disease, combining the latest publications with the most influential evidence.
Major themes4
- Exercise1
- Immunity, Active1
- Immunity, Innate1
- Motor Activity1
Leading journals6
- Circulation3
- Circulation research1
- Endocrine reviews1
- European heart journal1
- European journal of biochemistry1
- The Journal of clinical investigation1
Leading researchers8
- Blair SN2
- Greenland P2
- Grundy SM2
- Hansson GK2
- Libby P2
- Aikawa M1
- Assmann G1
- Badimon JJ1
Affiliations (unnormalised)6
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Department of Medicine1
- Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons1
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Pharmacogenetics1
- Graduate School of Medicine1
- The Center for Vulnerable Plaque Research1
- Université Paris-Descartes1
Disease biology
Key proteins & gene products studied in this disease. Number shows shared papers.
Related conditions
Diseases frequently studied alongside this one. Number shows shared papers.
Disease profile
A grounded synthesis of the condition — overview, causes, mechanism, risk factors and current standard of care.
Arteriosclerosis is a broad term for thickening and loss of elasticity of artery walls in arteries of all sizes. It includes multiple forms defined by the type of lesion and the arteries involved, including atherosclerosis, which features fatty lesions in the intima of medium and large muscular arteries.
The supplied material does not support a single cause for arteriosclerosis as a whole. It indicates that atherosclerotic forms are associated with inflammatory and immune mediators, but not a definitive aetiology for arteriosclerosis itself.
The grounding supports a vascular wall process characterized by thickening and reduced elasticity, with atherosclerotic forms involving fatty intimal lesions. In atherosclerosis, innate and adaptive immune pathways, including proinflammatory cytokines and other immune mediators, contribute to lesion development and progression. The literature also describes vulnerable plaques as lesions prone to thrombotic complications and rapid progression.
The supplied abstracts identify established and emerging risk factors for atherosclerosis, but do not enumerate them in full. They note that lipoproteins and their modified products, vasoactive peptides, and blood pressure are among the factors that modulate immune responses and disease activity.
The grounding does not provide a treatment standard for arteriosclerosis as a whole. It only indicates that atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease has major treatment advances and that current screening and diagnostic methods are insufficient to identify vulnerable patients before events occur.
AI-generated summary grounded in MeSH and 4 peer-reviewed sources. Informational only — not medical advice. Generated 2026-07-07.
Reference
Authoritative identity, definition & identifiers.
Thickening and loss of elasticity of the walls of ARTERIES of all sizes. There are many forms classified by the types of lesions and arteries involved, such as ATHEROSCLEROSIS with fatty lesions in the ARTERIAL INTIMA of medium and large muscular arteries.
- Disease identity & definition — NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), public domain
- Clinical trials — ClinicalTrials.gov (U.S. National Library of Medicine)
- Research activity — Europe PMC (EMBL-EBI) + OpenAlex-derived paper links
- Related entities are derived from literature co-mention (studied together) — associative, not causal.